A DIAL, WHEREIN Is contained a remembrance of DEATH, and the uncertainty of the time of DEATH. With many good Rules how for to lead a good life. clock FOR WE MU YOUTH MIDDLE AGE OLD AGE 1 THES. 5. 1. Try all things, and keep that which is good. LONDON, Printed, Anno, 1648. To the Reader. KInd Reader I desire, and wish to thee All health and happiness, may ever be, This little book which hear I do present Is for no ill, but for a good intent, It is a dial, so I have it named According to some motions, in it framed Likewise unto a garden we may it compare Wherein both flowers and weeds there are To both of these, you may it use at leisure As time will serve, for you to take your pleasure, 'tis both, to put us all, in mind of death While on the earth God lends us life & breath As in a dial, is motions of the hours So in this garden is motions of sweet flowers, As in some dial's, be some false deeds, So in this garden is some bad weeds, All dial's goes not true, that I do know Some go too fast, and some do go too slow But this may prove, to thee a true dial If thou thereof, do make a true trial This garden to, though, but a little ground Yet there are here, sweet flowers to be found, This dial do thou buy, it is not dear Learn by it how to live, while thou liv'st here Though in his centre, thou no tongue discern Yet thou by it, may some good lessons learn, Prepare for death while thou hast time and space And pray to God, to guide thee with his grace, Death he will come, though we know not the hour At one, or two, at three, or else at four, Suppose he stay unto a farther line; Till five, or six, to seven, eight or nine, But if he stay till ten, eleven or twelve 'tis high time then for thee a grave to delve, Choose this thy ground, do thou not it refuse And delve therein, 'tis made for thee to use Do thou peruse it well, and spend some hours To cast the weeds out, but preserve the flowers: Gather some flowers, to deck you to your grave. Observe this dial well, and so it may Serve for thy use, both for the night and day In day time for to read, while it is light And for to meditate on, in the night, God grant us grace, that we may learn hereby In goodness still to grow and multiply. So I desire thee, for to read it o'er, And give to God the praise for evermore. So I rest thy loving friend and well willer, William Granger. A DIAL. GOod Christians all, of whatsoever degree, Give ear a while, and hearken unto me Both old, and young, it doth us all concern The oldest he, is not too old to learn We must die all, by ordinance divine How ere so high, we must at last decline Our God he hath ordained it to be so, Our Grandsire Adam brought us to this woe In Genesis the third we may it read Gen. 2. Gen. 3. The sequel why, and how it was decreed God pardon me, in plainness to bestow A little time his wondrous works to show; In Eden God, did choose a plot of ground, And planted fruitful trees about it round Fruits of all sorts, herbs of all sorts likewise And made it be a pleasant Paradise, And in that place; there water was enough For pleasant strames, did run, this garden through In midst of this fair garden, God even he Did place the tree of knowledge for to be This pleasant place, abundantly expelling God gave to Adam for to be his dwelling God of the earth, a little time before Did make him there, to rule all creatures o'er, Then made he Adam a heavy sleep to bide While he a rib did take out of his side, And made a woman his helper for to be, The case was altered soon, from that we see Then God did say to him, of all the trees that be Within this garden set, and placed by me Take thou the fruit thereof, and freely eat I give them thee, they shallbe for thy meat But of the tree, in midst this garden great I do command thee, that thou shalt not eat For this I say to thee assuredly If thou dost eat thereof thou sure shalt die, Then Satan he, envying Adam's state Began unto, himself thus to relate, Shall man possess, that place of high renown, That glorious place, from whence I am cast down O! no I say, I will away devise, He shall not to that blessed place arise Though he be blessed now, he shall accursed be, And so I'll overthrow his Majesty, But he no way could find to make the man be cursed, But by enticing of the woman first; Then did he take on him the Serpent's shape, And thought by this device man should not scape; He presently got up without delay, Into the Tree, and thus to Eve did say, Woman, quoth he, what is your charge so great, Of all the fruits that's hear you may not eat? We eat said she of all that here do grow, He that hath made us doth the same allow, But of the Tree amidst this Garden great, He hath commanded that we shall not eat, And if we eat thereof we sure shall die: The subtle Serpent than made this reply; No no, said he, you shall not die at all, You are unwise to keep yourselves in thrall, Your Maker knows that when thereof you eat, You shall be like to God in knowledge great, You then shall understand both good and ill, For this same cause he'll keep you from it still, But how can you forbear this fruit so fair? Why is it kept from such a loving pair? He plucked an apple then, and gave it unto Eve, She saw it fair, did gladly it receive, When she did taste, and found it savoury meat, She gave to Adam one and he did eat: Then opened were their eyes, Immediately And they ashamed were, their nakedness to spy God knowing this, in cool of day came down And in the garden thus, his voice did sound Adam where art, than they durst not abide, But ran among the trees themselves to hid; At last poor Adam spoke, and thus he said. We heard thy voice, and therefore were afraid. Because that both, of us now naked be And art thou naked now, who told it thee Hast thou now eaten, of the forbidden tree Said he, The woman that thou didst me give She gave it me, and I did it receive, Then unto Eve, God did these words express Why hast thou caused, thy husband to transgress, Said she, the Serpent, he enticed me And made me do this great offence to thee So every one of us, our sins do smother And put it from ourselves, unto some other Then God unto, the Serpent presently Did say these words, which I do now descry Thou Serpent vile, which by thy subtlety Seduced have this woman against me And caused her so, her husband to betray And my Commandment, so to disobey I will torment thee, with continual woe Upon thy belly, thou shalt ever go, Dust of the earth, shallbe thy daily meat The very vilest of it thou shalt eat Between the woman's seed, and thine and thee For evermore, there shall contention be, Gen. 15. Her seed shall break thy head, thine bruise his heel These torments thou, for evermore shall feel And woman then, which by enticement hast Thy husband from, his happiness down cast By which thou hast, undone, both him and thee And made you both, vile bondslaves for to be, For this thy breaking my Commandment, Thou shalt receive from me this punishment, I'll punish thee in thy conceptions, Because of this, thy sore transgressions; And for thou hast not lived in my fear, With pain and sorrow thou shalt children bear Unto thy husband, thy desire shall be, And he shall still have power and rule o'er thee: And Adam, thou that didst not stand in fear Of me thy God, but to thy wife gave ear, I will no more so careful be upon thee, But I pronounce this sentence to be on thee: For that you have been to me so unjust, Out of this Garden now I will you thrust, Now thou mayst say thou art of me forsaken, Go dig the ground, from whence thou first wast taken: Thou art but earth, therein go take some pains, Gen. 3. 19 For unto earth thoushalt return again, You both shall die, as you do well deserve, But when, I will unto myself reserve, Because you have lived so rebelliously, You both shall die, and your posterity: The earth also shall Thistles bear, and Thorns, And thou shalt suffer many grievous storms, With sweat of brows thou now must get thy meat, Thou must not idle be if thou wilt eat: So I have done, now I have past my doom, Learn to live better now before death come. Thus God did curse what he before did make, Gen. 3. 18. He cursed the very earth for Adam's sake, His disobedience made him have this curse, And we his offspring all do far the worse, For of our father Adam's grievous sin, We, as his heirs, have all our shares therein, And thus was Adam's sin our great downfall, Therefore remember death, We must dial: But here a comfort doth again arise, Which subtle Satan never did surmise, Though we were cursed by the woman's deed, We now are blest again by a woman's seed, As in the Scripture we may daily read, The woman's seed should break the serpent's head, Our Jesus Christ both God and man was he, Came to this world our Saviour for to be; Our Jesus Christ he hath our ransom paid, For on his shoulders all our sins was laid, Esay 53. 4. 1 Pet. 2. 24. Matth. 8. 17. He offered up himself a sacrifice for sin, For to redeem us from the bondage we were in, Those that believe in him by a true faith, They shall be saved as the Scripture saith, But 'tis ordained that once we must die all, Heb. 9 27. And yield our life to death when he doth call, And death at God's command doth still attend To bring each mortal wight unto his end, Death is God's Herald, when command is given To go to all the Nations under heaven, For to arrest and take into his power, Some people therein every day and hour; The greatest King cannot deaths pour withstand, When he comes with the King of King's command, No age can scape from cradle to the crutch, No sex can keep them from his fatal touch; Kings and beggars to death are all alike, There's none at all can say Death dares not strike, But there's a time for all things under Sun, Time hath been ever since the world begun, A time for to be borne, a time to die, The wiseman saith, and none can it deny. In time was Adam made in God's image, In a short time he lost his heritage, And infulnesse of time God sent his Son Gal. 4. 4. For to redeem us that were all undone, Death taketh time unto him as a brother, To go with him and follow on another; Time with his sith, Death with his dismal dart, These two between them both the world doth part. Time he hath wings, a speedy pace to high And death can run as fast as time can fly, Time takes our lives, and post to death doth run Death meets with time, and so our lives are done How careful aught, we be, our lives to mend Since two such watchmen, do on us attend, Time he doth number all, our hours and days And death doth watch, to catch us on our ways, We must die all, and yield to death his due, Though we know not the time, nor place, nor how. Death he hath weapons more, besides his dart, He hath more ways than one to kill the heart: Some in the seas and brooks, are daily drowned Some in the fires, are utterly consumed, Some are by powder all to pieces torn, Some have their lives, in deserts overworn; Some there are daily, killed with the sword Some die a death, that most they have abroad Some hath by poison got a deadly stroke. Some in their drink, a silly fly doth choke Some die of surfeits, eating too much meat, Some die by famine having nought to eat, Some conquering Captains, fight in the field Death conquers them, and makes them for to yield, To strike old age in bed, death doth not scorn Nor doth he spare, the infants that's new borne Thou canst not pass, no time a long the street. To be assured no danger for to meet Some wood or stone, may fall upon thy head Down from church or house and strike thee dead, Be careful then, to be as thou shouldst be Sith death so many ways, may come to thee Repent in time, and do thy life amend. Before that death do come, thy life to end, Be thou for death, all times, prepared be, That sudden death, may never come to thee Unto the wicked death doth come with terror, Proverbs 28. 1. For of his coming, he is still a fever, But to the godly, death is welcome ever, He doth acknowledge God, of his life the giver And that he must, return it back again To him from whom, he did it first obtain Death he will come, though we know not how soon. Luke 12. 40. In midst of night, in morning or at noon, In the spring time, or else upon the fall. But sure enough it is, we must die all Although that Christ for all our sins did die, Yet we must careful be, from sin to fly, For sin within us still there doth remain, O let it not within thee rule and reign, Be careful then, thy God to serve and fear And patient be afflictions to bear Led a good life, an evil life abhor Rom. 12. 9 That thou mayst live with Christ, for evermore Live well and die well, that proverb is true But few in these days, that will do so now, Some that would die well, there were and there is But yet they have lead, their lives for a mis Numb. 23. Balam desired the righteous death to die Mark 14. John 18. 10. Although he lived not righteously Judas that traitor, did not so in either He did not live well, nor died well neither Lets pray to God, to grant to us his grace To keep us all, from such a desperate case Live thou a righteous life holy and pure And thou shall die, a righteous death be sure There is a rule by God's commandment To teach thee how to live, and not be shent Exod. 20. Gods ten commands that he to us hath given To be our guide, to lead us into heaven, God be my guide, me to direct a right For to explain them, as I do recite. commandment 1 Thou shalt have no other gods but me. There is but one, and I am only he That brought thee out, from Pharaoh's cruel hand Where thou in bondage waste in Egypt land I am that God, that can condemn and save And therefore thou, no other shalt have commandment 2 Thou shalt to thee, no graven image make Thereby God's honour, from him for to take Likeness of anything, in heaven above Or in the earth below, to like or love Fowls of the air, or fishes in the sea, An Image shalt thou make, of none of these I say thou shalt, no image make at all To bow to it, or down before it fall Of any kind of met all, wood or stone. All worship doth belong, to God alone The Lord thy God, he is a jealous God And he will visit daily with his rod The father's sins, upon their children here That do him hate, whom they should love and fear Unto the third, and fourth generation All those that live in any land or nation But unto thousands, mercy show he will Of those that his commands, keep and fulfil. commandment 3 Thou shalt not take Gods holy name in vain Thy mind to please, or cause for to maintain In any case, do not blaspheme his name That gave thee breath and did thy body frame He that to take his name in vain is bold, The Lord hath said, he will not guiltless hold. commandment 4 Remember that, the Lords Day thou keep holy Abuse it not, by any kind of folly Six days thou labour shalt, and do what longs thee to, And keep the Sabbath, as thou oughtest to do: For in six days, the Lord did all things make And on the seventh, he his rest did take, In it I say, thou shalt not work at all, Thou nor thy servant, nor Ox within thy stall God blest, the Sabbath day, and hallowed it: Therefore look that no work thou do in it. commandment 5 Honour thy father, and thy mother to, And do them reverence, as thou oughtest to do, That thou long days and good on earth may live In any place that God shall to thee give: Mat. 15. 4. He that his father, or his mother curse, His days on earth shall fewer be and worse. commandment 6 Thou shalt not any kind of murder use In any case, thy brother to abuse By this word murder we must understand Some other mischiefs, used in our land As envy, hatred, malice, and the like And wicked slander, that man's life doth seek He that his neighbour, doth slander and defame As good were take his life, as his good name A good name is a good man's chief delight, And highly is esteemed in good men's sight. Prov. 22. 1. commandment 7 Thou shalt not commit Adultery, Nor any other kind, of lechery Of Sodoms odious sins, do thou beware To keep thy body chaste and pure have care, After a woman see thou do not lust. For if thou do, thy heart it is unjust, If thou dost so, I tell thee for thy part Adultery thou dost commit in heart. Matth. 5. 8, 28. commandment 8 Thou shalt steal, look that thou do not so Lest it doth chance, to turn unto thy woe In dealing falsely, do thou not delight Remember still, that thou art in God's sight Jer. 23. 23, 24. Levit. 19 36. Weights too light, or measures which be small Do thou not use, lest thou in danger fall. Deceit is stealing, in a kind of way Which thou shalt answer for another day. commandment 9 Thou shalt false witness against no man bear, But for the truth stand up, and do not fear; Do thou have God at all times in thy mind, And take no bribes lest they do make thee blind. commandment 10 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house or land, His wife or servants that be at his command, His Ox, his Ass, nor anything that's his, If so thou do, be sure thou dost amiss: Think how King Ahab and Queen Jezabel 1 Kings 21. 13. Against this last commandment did rebel, Ahab did covet, and Naboth's Vineyard crave, Naboth denied what Ahab fain would have, Then Jezabel false witnesses did bring To swear that Naboth had blasphemed God and the King, For that good Naboth he was stoned to death, And with his Vineyard he did lose his breath: What punishment they had the proof is plain, The dogs did eat her flesh, and he was slain: And now the ten Comandments I have rehearsed, Some other things I have to be rehearsed; Pride do thou shun, in any kind of case, Decent apparel is a comely grace, But above all, be thou not proud in heart, Prov. 16. 5, 12, 18. I give thee counsel whosoe'er thou art: Remember this before it be too late, The proud in hea●t the Lord thy God doth hate, 1 Pet. 5. 5. Be humble minded then, and meek in heart And God will love thee then, if so thou art, God will exalt the humble and the meek, Matth. 23. 12. But the proud heart he will in pieces break, Nabuchadnezar that mighty King, Dan. 4. 30. His pride of heart did him great damage bring, For God out of his Throne did down him cast, Among the beasts to feed till seven years past. Of Gluttony likewise do thou take heed, Eat not too much, give some to them that need, Rich Dives he did feed on dainty fair, Luke 16. 19 But to poor Lazarus, no crumbs would spare, What came to him after his dainty fair? He is in durance now where all vile torments are, Vile drunkenness do thou in no wise use, Drink not too much thyself for to abuse, For drinking much may make thee for to want, And so may death come to thee just upon't, When Holofernes had drunk of wine his fill, Judith 13. 8. His head was quite cut off by Judith's skill, It was God's will for his own people's sake, In their revenge that she this way did take: Noah crushed his grapes, and too much of the same Gen 9 21. Did make him drunk, and so he showed his shame, This is no pattern left for thee to follow, If thou think so, thy wit is very shallow. Some of Gods chosen have great sins committed, 2 Sam. 11. 4. And by repentance they have been acquitted; Then let this be unto thy mind to call, Mat. 26. 74, 75. That God's dear children may at sometimes fall, Not totally, but they may rise again, And live with Christ above where he doth reign. Envy no man, though he hath done thee wrong, Take not from God what to him doth belong, For we may read that God himself doth say it, Vengeance is mine, I will myself repay it, For envy Cain did kill Abel his brother, Rom. 12. 19 Gen. 4. 8. So by envy now do we kill one another: Hatred it is abominable thing Against our God that is heavens great King; For hatred jacob's sons did Joseph sell, Gen. 37. 28. Which God did turn to good, though they did ill, For jacob's sake it needs must be confessed, Unto Gods chosen all is for the best; Joseph in Pharoahs' house so well did speed, That he his father's house did help at need; God hath commanded that we should not hate, But now we daily do it imitate, To malice be thou not at all inclined, It is much like to hatred his kind, And therefore for't I say no more but thus, From all those sins the Lord deliverus. To covetousness I now am come again, A little farther for to make it plain, What wretched man art thou that with annoy Dost covet wealth thou canst not long enjoy? Think thou what God did to the rich man say, When he had made large barns his goods to lay, Thou fool this night thy soul shall taken be, Luke 12. 20. Then who shall have those goods laid up by thee? If thou hast riches, set not thy heart thereon, Thou dost not know how soon they may be gone; Say thou not unto thyself that thou dost owe them, They are but lent thee well for to bestow them; Thou art a Steward, God lends thee them to use Unto his glory, not for thee to abuse, Do thou bestow them well, that so thou may Give up a good account at the last day, Give to the poor that at thy door do cry, Cloth thou the naked that in street do lie, Comfort the widows that are in distress, Relieve the children that be fatherless, Visit the sick that are almost spent, And those in prison that have long been penned; Lay not thy treasure on earth for to enjoy them, Matth. 6. 19 For there be many ways for to destroy them, But lay them up in heaven for to be Where they may prove a great estate for thee, For there no evil comes for to destroy it, But at the last thou safely shalt enjoy it, All this if thou dost so God will thee bless, And thou at last a Kingdom shalt possess; When any work thou undertakest in hand, Remember still thou art at God's command, And when thy work unto good end is brought, Do thou not brag that thou thyself it wrought, 1 Cor. 4. 7. But give the praise and glory unto God, Lest he do cross thee with some kind of rod: When any journey thou dost mean to make, Pray unto God that he may undertake To be thy guide, and to direct thy way, That thou mayst come to heaven at the last day, Observe all these good rules and do them keep, And blessed shalt thou be whether thou wake or sleep; Thou shalt be blessed whatsoever befall, Yea triple blessed when death thy life doth call. Now to conclude, this work is at an end, God grant us grace our lives for to amend, And thou kind Reader that hast read it o'er, Though it be weak, do thou not it abhor, The matter it is good, though not the writing, The meaning is as good, not the inditing. Let not a little fault in thee disliking move, But take it as it is, 'tis done in love; Let him that in it seethe not any ill. Forgive the fault, and mend it when he will; Full foute score years and three the Author is, A younger man may do some things amiss. FINIS.